Officials Report More Than 2,100 New COVID Cases In MA Schools

According to the latest data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, there were 2,154 new coronavirus cases among students and staff at Massachusetts schools in the last week.

WHDH/News 7 Boston reports there were 1,804 positive cases among students and 350 cases among staff between Oct. 14 and Oct. 20. That number may seem large, but that's actually a decrease from the week prior, according to the DESE.

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Cases of students that tested positive for COVID-19 dropped by over 80 from the previous week, while more staff cases were reported, up from 337. The decrease mirrors statewide coronavirus trends which have also been going down.

The Bay State estimates there are approximately 920,000 students in classrooms in public schools and 140,000 staff working in-person this school year. The total number of positive cases reported by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is factored from school districts, collaboratives, and approved special education schools.

Also, according to the DESE, COVID pool testing is being used in more than 2,200 public and private schools. That's almost double last year's count.

Students age 12 and up are able to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but there's still no clear timeline on when younger kids will be eligible for vaccines. Students and staff in Massachusetts will have to continue to mask up in school until at least Nov. 1, unless 80% of people in the school are vaccinated.

You can always visit the DESE's website for a district-by-district breakdown on coronavirus cases. For more on the story, visit WHDH's website here.